Don't Forget to Dream (9 page)

Taking in the small print Rhyla searched for the appropriate place to begin and started reading aloud. At first her voice was timid, hesitating in the wrong place and not speaking very clearly. But she pressed on and as the flow of the narrative built she grew in confidence, once again reading as she had for Lydia so often, the tambour and cadence of her words fluctuating with the tale unfolding.

As the chapter came to an end Rhyla glanced up to see if she were to continue. A gentle smile greeted her.

“
The next passage can wait till tomorrow my dear,
”
Lady Emelia answered the unasked question.

It took a moment before Rhyla realised the full implication of such a simple statement.
“
Oh...
”
was all she managed.

“
Come and sit down my girl,
”
Lady Emelia said indicating the three-legged stool near her chair. Elsie sat on a similar one n
ot far on her other side, nearer
to the door. Rhyla placed the book on its table and sat down.
“
I would like to know a little more about you, if you are to remain in the royal household.
”

Swallowing deeply
,
Rhyla struggled to find her voice as a flood of emotions
overwhelmed her. She could stay; here in the Palace;
a lady
’
s maid; reading wonderful books. This was beyond her most vivid imagination. It was
something she had never dreamed could be possible. Drawing a deep breath to calm herself she finally spoke up,
“
What would you like to know my lady?
”

Lady Emelia smiled more warmly at her. The quiet girl before her was intelligent and somewhat educated, by the skill of her reading, yet she had no understanding of how remarkable this made her. Lady Emelia knew her instant liking for this girl had the potential to grow into a fond friendship, something that was very rare for a woman of her age and position.

“
I do not wish to pry anywhere too personal or painful my dear. Just tell me about you, your family and home, how you came upon your education and why you are here in Lestran.
”

“
Oh all right, that is certainly fair.
”
Rhyla paused
trying to work out where to begin. S
he decided to keep it simple.
“
I was raised by my parents on a farm outside Bendarin, a small village half a day
’
s ride to the north. We grew
vegetables and a few crops, had chickens and a small herd of milking cows. We had one horse for the cart and ploughing.

“
Father also had a small forge where he shod the village horses, repaired any blades or scythes
as required. He did not call
himself a blacksmith but he helped the locals and it earn
ed
us the odd coin.
”
Rhyla paused remembering her father
as he worked in the heat of the
forge, hearing
the clanging as he pounded the metal and the hiss when the hot metal was plunged into the water bucket. Tears threatened to
form so she hurried on to other
, less painful memories.
“
My mother died before I had seen sixteen summers. She was a perfect match for my father. They worked the fields together and loved each other dearly. But she got sick one winter, couldn
’
t st
op coughing and had many fevers.
She
never saw the spring.
”
Rhyla
had refused to dwell on thoughts of her mother over the last year, working to get past the pain but now the fresh pain only brought it all back. Lady Emelia waited patiently in silence.

“
I was taught to read and write, even a few simple sums, by a lady in our village, in exchange for helping her around the house. She was widowed and had no children of her own. She always refused payment for her teaching, saying it was enough that I brought life into the house. Some of the younger girls are now sharing the role I had; I hope they learn as much as I was able to.
”

“
Sounds like a very remarkable women. How did she come upon her education?
”
Lady Emelia asked gently, not wanting to break the flow of Rhyla
’
s tale.

“
Her husband taught her.
She said he was a scribe. I never met
him;
he died long before I was born.
”

“
I see. That was a
very fortunate circumstance for you.
”
A moment of silence hinted to Lady Emelia that Rhyla was becoming uncomfortable, possibly with topics as yet untouched or circumvented.
“
May I know why you left home to come to Lestran?
”
Despite knowing some of the reasons behind her move, Lady Emelia knew it would be best to hear it from Rhyla herself. It would also save explaining Callum
’
s involvement.

“
I... I had to find employment. Two
months ago my father was killed.
Our
house and forge burned to the ground and our livestock taken by bandits from the hills.
”
She had said it in such a rush that she had to pause for breath as the raw emotions built up in her again. Lady Emelia reached over to hold her trembling hands.

“
I am so sorry
my dear. If this is too painful you may stop.
”

“
No. No. I
’
m fine,
”
Rhyla lied as she struggled to put aside her raw grief. Several ragged gasps of air slowly brought her emotions under control.
“
Please forgive me my lady.
”

“
Oh my girl, d
o not concern
yourself
. You clearly loved your father dearly and it is only right for you to grieve for him,
”
Lady Emelia said gently.

“
Thank you my lady,
”
Rhyla replied softly.

“
I shall speak to my son-in-law. He is well aware of the trouble these bandits have been causing but he needs to know that these crimes are escalating. I cannot promise the perpetrators will be individually brought to justice but he and my grandsons will certainly do more for our people once they learn of this.
”
The intensity of Lady Emelia
’
s conviction cleared the tears that threatened to form in Rhyla
’
s eyes.

“
The King,
”
Rhyla whispered as she realised to whom Lady Emelia had been referring.
“
You shall tell the King, and the Princes?
”

“
Of course my dear, t
o whom else did you think I was referring?
”

Rhyla opened her mouth but soon shut it, unsure how she could possibly respond.

Lady Emelia patted her hand gently.
“
I think we had best proceed to more enjoyable topics. Firstly,
”
she said pulling her hand away and indicating towards Elsie,
“
you shall share Elsie
’
s room. It is not far from mine but not down in the servants quarters either. There is more than enough room for two; Elsie
’
s previous roommate married a few months back so you won
’
t be putting anyone out.
”
Elsie smiled warmly and Rhyla hoped they would become friends; she had never had to share a room before but was not put off by the prospect.
“
Elsie is my lady
’
s maid and her position remains unchanged. She can explain in detail how I like things to run. Primarily I would like you to assist me where my eyesight an
d frailty are hindering my life;
a companion
you may say.
I love to read and correspond with friends, to discuss new ideas and old tales. The other ladies of the household have their own lives and little time to concern themselves with my needs and I have no desire to become a burden to them. I am no longer able to adequately contribute to the work in the women
’
s hall. There is much sewing
to be done.
You
can sew and embroider my dear?
”
she paused to ask.

“
Yes, my lady,
”
Rhyla responded, struggling to absorb it all.

“
Wonderful.
With
all these men about the Palace
,
we can barely keep up. And we shall need to organise new dresses for you. Elsie,
”
she said turning to
her lady
’
s maid,
“
have Mistress O
’
Mara find something suitable for now and have her see me later about having new dresses made up.
”

Rhyla glanced down and realised that her old dresses were not suitable for even a lady
’
s maid in the Palace of Lestran.

The remainder of the afternoon, and indeed the following weeks, became somewhat of a hazy blur. Her new life was fille
d every day with new endeavours;
lea
rning her way around the Palace;
remembering the names and titles of all the nobility and staff that filled every corner of the Palace and becoming familiar with her new role. As each night came Rhyla didn
’
t know if she could possibly sleep with so much to remember. But every night she fell asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, happy and content with this surprising new stage of her life. She barely spared a moment
’
s thoughts to consider Master Drake and his inn.

There were few moments in the day when she had time to consider if around the next corner she would run into Prince Callum. Just the memory of his blue eyes and warm, mesmerising smile was enough to bring a flame to her cheeks and a flutter to her heart. She feared running into him as she escorted Lady Emelia around the Palace.

Although she did not know how he was involved she was convinced he had played some role in her gaining this position. Who else could have informed Lady Emelia of her existence? But
how did he know she could read.
Martin was particularly vague when she questioned him. How could she ever thank him, or repay him for all he had done from her over the past month.

He was quickly becoming an integral part of her life, a regular topic of conversation in the women
’
s hall and the servants
’
quarters, but she carefully avoided participating in such discussions. Her ears were unnaturally alert to any mention of his name, but she often regretted hearing much of it
. There was great speculation about
whom he should marry. It was a firm belief
among the women of his family, primarily his mother Queen Aletta and his sister-in-law Princess Sophia that it was time a match was made. Several young noble ladies and a few from neighbouring kingdoms were discussed as possible candidates. Lady Madeline and Lady Sara
h were the most often mentioned.
This
seemed to be a regular topic of conversation but did not seem to progress beyond that. More significantly to Rhyla there did not seem to be any comment on Callum
’
s opinion.

Early one morning during her second week in the palace
,
Rhyla had seen Prince Callum, Martin and a dozen soldiers ride out of the courtyard from her bedroom window. She knew even from such a distan
ce who was leading the party.
His
black hair, the width of his shoulders and the way he had walked across the courtyard to his men
belonged to one man and one man only.
She couldn
’
t take her eyes off him, nor prevent the racing of her heart and the flush to her cheeks when he happened to glance up at her. He couldn
’
t have known she was there; there was no reason to believe he had been looking at
her. That
was ridiculous. But she could not deny that their eyes had met, e
ven if it had been accidentally.
Had
there been a brief inclination of his head before he had mounted, she couldn
’
t be sure. Sitting in the sunroom later in the morning with Lady Emelia
,
the purpose of their departure soon became apparent.

“
I informed Liam of the loss of your fathe
r,
Rhyla,
”
Lady Emelia began. Rhyla was
surprised;
she did not think the king would be informed so soon.
“
He agreed that the loss of life and wonton destruction of property demanded action. The petty thefts and r
aids on crops and livestock are intolerable and he has asked the local lords to deal with the problem.
There is not the manpower within the Guards to pursue every such incident. In this situation, upon hearing of your grave suffering, Liam agreed that these bandits need to be dealt with. Callum has taken up the task
to be the leader.
”